


Tea at Lady Montbray’s

by pallidvixen



Category: The Turner Series - Cat Sebastian
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 13:16:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17044406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pallidvixen/pseuds/pallidvixen
Summary: This takes place duringThe Ruin of a Rakein Cat Sebastian'sTurner Series.  It is a missing scene when Julian Medlock has tea with Lady Montbray and her brother Oliver Rivington.





	Tea at Lady Montbray’s

**Author's Note:**

> I love this series so much and there is seriously not enough fic of it so I thought I would help remedy that. Minor spoilers (i.e., the couples) for all three books if you haven't read them. Specific spoiler for _The Ruin of a Rake_ if you haven't read it I mention who wrote _The Brigand Prince_.

After Lady Montbray didn’t throw him out for confessing that he had written _The Brigand Prince_ Julian felt astonished. Instead she and her brother shared glances and urged him to sit down and have some tea. 

Stiffly he sat down realizing he had interrupted their family tea time and feeling embarrassed about his outburst but felt his emotions bubbling up once more. “He cares for his nephew more than anyone and I’ve ruined his chances of seeing him ever again!”

“What do you mean?” asked Lady Montbray handing him a cup of tea.

“Lord Radnor won’t let his son, Simon, near Courtenay since _The Brigand Prince_ was published. Courtenay is devastated. Everyone thinks that the book is about him and with his reputation as it is, well…” Julian trailed off.

“But you wrote that book before becoming acquainted with Lord Courtenay.”

“Yes,” Julian admitted, “but no one knows that. Courtenay has received letters from Radnor’s secretary telling him to only communicate with them through Lord Radnor’s solicitor from now on.”

“Lord Radnor’s secretary, you say?” Oliver Rivington, Lady Montbray’s brother, asked.

“Yes,” Julian confirmed.

Rivington shared a glance with his sister. “And Lord Courtenay is not the wild libertine he is made out to be?”

“He is nothing of the sort! Perhaps in his past… but for heaven’s sake he supports his old staff with pensions! He supports his mother and her husband and her step-children even though she disowned him, it’s left him nearly penniless!” Julian clamped a hand over his mouth horrified at his own outburst. He shouldn’t be sharing Courtenay’s private affairs.

Lady Montbray seemed to sense the panic in his eyes. “It’s all right,” she assured him, “you are amongst friends. We shan’t spread rumors.”

Julian let out a sigh of relief and sipped his tea looking at the display of tiny cakes set next to the silver teapot. 

Lady Montbray changed the subject. “How did he find out that it was you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You and Lord Courtenay have recently become acquainted and formed,” Rivington hesitated, “a friendship?”

“Mr. Medlock and Lord Courtenay have been seen about town quite a lot together from what I have heard,” Lady Montbray said.

“Yes, we are friends. We _were_ friends. Now he won’t even speak to me,” Julian said trying to keep the quiver out of his voice. “He must hate me.”

“How did you two come to be acquainted?”

“He is a good friend of my sister, Lady Standish.”

“Lady Standish is your sister?” Rivington asked.

Julian sat up more aware of how he was being observed. “Yes, and a very good friend of Lord Radnor, but she has been unsuccessful in getting him to change his opinion of Courtenay. My sister pressed me to help him to be seen in the right society as to hope that word got back to Lord Radnor.” He sighed and set his tea cup down on the table. “I must admit I almost refused my sister’s request, to be seen associating with such a man, but he really is no rake, at least not anymore. And it has become abundantly clear how much he cares for his young nephew. That was what brought him back to England in the first place. Apparently Simon did not live with his father prior to now.” Realizing again he was perhaps saying too much he stopped himself.

Lady Montbray sipped her tea and then spoke, “He was living with his mother before?”

“Yes, until she died. Then he was sent to other relations of his mother’s before being sent to Harrow where he would stay year round or with a school friend on holidays.”

“Poor boy,” Lady Montbray murmured, “But why was he not sent to live with his father?” she asked purposefully not asking what had happened to the boy’s mother.

“I’m not sure,” Julian admitted.

“Actually, up until recently the Earl of Radnor was thought to be quite mad,” Rivington commented watching Julian with interest, “Apparently it ran in the family. He was not thought to be a fit parent. This was quite untrue of course.” 

***  
Oliver appraised the man in front of him. How amazingly tangled their lives all were. This Earl of Radnor, whose son was Lord Courtenay’s nephew, was none other than Georgie Turner’s _dear, Lawrence_. He had suggested Jack send Georgie to investigate the Earl when his old Oxford chum, now the Vicar in Cornwall had asked for his help in ascertaining whether or not the Earl was mad. Little did he or Jack know that Georgie would fall in love with the large gruff man. He had come full circle to the man who had made the inquiries to the Vicar in the first place, Lord Courtenay, the boy’s uncle. And now this man, Mr. Julian Medlock, who had a sterling reputation and though not a gentleman, a sort of gentleman by association as his sister had a title, and an acquaintance of his sister’s, was confessing his despair at having further injured Lord Courtenay’s reputation. But why?

“So his reputation has taken another blow by the publication of your novel?” Oliver summed up.

“Yes.” Medlock looked devastated.

“You seem to care a great deal for Lord Courtenay,” Lady Montbray said softly.

“I,” Medlock hesitated, “I do,” he confessed quitely. “I have to try to make things right. Even if he doesn’t forgive me, I must try to help him.”

Lady Montbray looked at her brother, “We are all familiar with how rumors affect reputation. Perhaps,” she said picking up her tea cup once again, “Lord Radnor will see the error of his ways.” She raised an eyebrow at her brother.

Medlock stared down at the tea service looking forlorn, “Perhaps,” he conceded as though he did not think this a likely possibility, “but I can at least help sort out Courtenay’s other affairs. I have a talent for managing money and I’m sure I can help him with his papers and properties.”

“Do you think he will let you to continue to manage his affairs?” Oliver asked in surprise.

“He gave me permission previously and has yet to rescind it,” Medlock explained. As if he realized that that was indeed a distinct possibility he put his tea cup down and rose. “Thank you for the tea, but I should be going. I didn’t mean to intrude on your family time, but I,” Medlock didn’t seem to know what to say next. He was clearly embarrassed.

“It was nothing. Thank you for coming by. It is always good to see a friend and to unburden oneself when one needs to,” Lady Montbray said. 

“It was very much appreciated. I do apologize for coming by without notice, but thank you again for having me.” And with that Mr. Medlock left the parlour.

“Well, well, what an interesting turn of events. Here you fall for a supposed scoundrel and now it looks like proper Mr. Medlock has fallen for a reformed rake.”

“It does seem that way.” Oliver picked up a small cake. “What happened to the mother?”

“She was Lord Courtenay’s younger sister. She married the Mad Earl of Radnor very quickly and then had a child. The rumor is the child is not Lord Radnor’s. Then she left Radnor and went to the continent with the child and her lover. Courtenay went with them. She died a few years ago in Italy from a fever I believe and the boy was sent to school.”

“How sad,” he said eating a piece of the cake, “I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t see William,” he admitted. “I’ll write to Georgie and explain the situation to him. I’m sure they both thought that they were protecting the boy.”

“Mr. Medlock is a good person. If he truly thinks that Lord Courtenay is reformed then I believe him,” Lady Montbray said.

“You were kind to have him here.”

“I’ve never known him to be so talkative of his feelings or affairs before. He must have truly been in distress.” She picked up a petit four and nibbled at a corner. “Ann and I are taking William to the country in a few weeks, perhaps Mr. Medlock would do well with some country air as well.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm Pallidvixen on tumblr (which is a tire fire rn), twitter, pillowfort, dreamwidth and livejournal.


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